Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to not tell dh about the 'check engine' light and ignore it as car is working fine?

185 replies

brt100 · 30/05/2014 19:20

The check engine light is now coming on a couple of times a week. We really can't afford to do anything to fix it and it is functional at the moment, it just Judders a bit when I go too slow in 5th.

Dh will get stressed and try to fix it himself. Would rather not have that as its not his forte.

OP posts:
ohdearitshappeningtome · 31/05/2014 21:07

There's really an app,to tell u what's wrong with your car???

Fuck!!!!

Raskova · 31/05/2014 21:09

I don't think it's a mobile app as such. I think you buy a connector and that connects to car and works with phone?

Normally they connect to laptops?

mswibble · 31/05/2014 21:10

I personally dont understand how you can drive a car which is telling you something is amiss without getting it checked out. It could be nithing or it could be an early warning of something very wrong.

I drive a ten year old money guzzler, the majority of the time Im driving on motorways on my own, and I ensure that my car is in the best nick it can possibly be. A few rattles, the odd squeak here and there fine ... but with a warning light on the dash I would get it looked at as soon as. Hence why ive spent over £300 this month - my engine and battery light came on. Mechanic told me that I had I waited the repairs bill would have exceeded the value of the car!

RandallFloyd · 31/05/2014 21:38

No, the engine management light doesn't automatically put your car into 'limp' mode.
If it did I'd be very lame!

Raskova is absolutely right. It depends on the fault.

intheenddotcom · 31/05/2014 21:40

Raskova it is called an error-code reader. It plugs into a port in your car and you read the error codes off a screen - the more expensive versions connect to laptops.

It's not that useful for the OP though as she doesn't seem to have much mechanical knowledge so would still have to take it to the garage to fix the fault (or would just clear the code so her DH doesn't find out).

Raskova · 31/05/2014 21:53

Oh I see. My x has a friend that bought one for £6 from eBay. He said that plugged into a laptop. I know they used it to clear his eml but it came on almost straight away again.

Yes, I'm not sure why OPs DH can't know about the car issue. If he won't help that's a bit shit but doesn't mean she can't sort it.

I'm a car sorting veteran. Currently drive a Beemer that was made last millennium... It's the oldest yet most reliable car I've had.

differentnameforthis · 01/06/2014 07:29

Hmm, not sure I'd be willing to trust an app on a phone, to be fair.

Get it checked op. Not by an app, by a person.

DeWee · 01/06/2014 09:06

IOur car if the engine light comes on steady, then it says (in the manual) "take it to be checked as soon as you can" if the engine light comes on flashing then it says "stop the car and call for assistance". Of course if you're reading the manual then I'd assume you've already stopped the car, but you get the picture.

When ours came on steady, it was a problem with something to do with the emissions. A long car journey sorted it, as the chap who does our car advised.
he has a little machine that you plug inot the car and it tells you exactly what's wrong.. I'm sure it costs more than 6 off ebay though, for a reliable one.

Though just after we'd got our car the anti-lock brake light came on. Turned out not to be the system but the sensor on the light. Cost us stupid money to replace-and it wouldn't pass the MOT without it.

Our car's a bit like a little old lady, it has one complaint after another and all it's "pills" it the boot.

bigdog888 · 01/06/2014 09:19

Turned out not to be the system but the sensor on the light

There is no sensor on the light. The light is illuminated by the ABS ECU when there is a fault somewhere in the system. In your case I suggest it was a wheel speed sensor. Depending on the age of the car the ABS and stability control will be combined in the same ECU and take data from a load of different sensors throughout the car such as the wheel speed sensors, steering angle sensor, yaw sensor, throttle position etc.

Raskova · 01/06/2014 09:38

Yeah, you mean turned out to be a sensor.

In my focus, if it snowed my abs light came on. About a week after the snow it would go off. It was a faulty sensor.

ilovesooty · 01/06/2014 09:56

Get it checked out properly. Also you're a grown woman and it's tour car so I don't see what your husband has to do with it except for awareness of household expenses.

MN is awash with posts decrying men's inability to deal with housework, ironing etc on an equal footing yet it seems acceptable for women to regard cars as a"man thing"

Take responsibility for getting your own vehicle seen to.

UtterFool · 01/06/2014 10:04

Not read every post so apologies if this has been said before but I've had this a fair bit in the past.

Generally, if you take it to a garage they will charge roughly £60 to diagnose the fault. This typically involves plugging a scanner into your cars OBD2 port. I bought a scanner from Argos fir £60 as it kept happening a while back and I couldn't afford the garage fees.

Nowadays you can get an app and buy a cable from eBay for much less.

Anyway, every time your light comes on a fault code will be stored on your cars computer. If you can find out what it is you can usually Google it and find out what the problem is, along with the fix. This at least gives you an idea of what you're up against.

Hope this helps and best of luck with it.

mswibble · 01/06/2014 11:47

My mechanic has a basic diagnostic machine which still set him back over £1000. I would not trust these £6 jobbies, even the Argos one.

UtterFool · 01/06/2014 14:31

Sorry mswibble but that's utter nonsense.

I've fixed and diagnosed numerous issues with my £60 Argos tool. It's an RAC unit that they sell specifically for home use. Somehow I think the RAC know what they're talking about.

reviews.argos.co.uk/1493-en_gb/7402742/reviews.htm

Essentially, what your car stores is a code i.e. P0141. The vast majority of codes are standard and mean the same thing for all cars sold on the market. Thus the aforementioned code refers to a rear oxygen sensor and will do irrespective of whether you own a Toyota, Ford etc.

www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/

Once you have the code then you have the most important piece of info and is essentially what a garage charges you for. Knowing what to do with it is also important but this is where Google is your friend. I can guarantee that for all common codes there will be umpteen people out there that have posted DIY repairs on owners forums. If you are handy then it can save you a small fortune on repair bills.

For instance, my Toyota has the above code. If I took it to the garage they would charge me over £300 as oxygen sensors are ridiculously expensive and this one is difficult to access. As it's only a post catalytic converter sensor then it does hardly anything so is not worth fixing on an old car. Even Toyota agree with me but my local independent garage just wanted to repair it and charge me for the pleasure.

Your mechanic's machine may do all manner of other things (hence costing over £1000) but for the average Jo/Joanne, we don't really need anything else.

Raskova · 01/06/2014 14:46

I go to a garage that charges £25 for diagnosis. I used to go there so often that they do it for free most times. They also know it's me before I say my name Hmm

mswibble · 01/06/2014 14:52

Mine doesnt charge anything as he's a mate so I haven't needed to investigate other options to be honest.

Has the OP come back yet?

SquirrelledAway · 01/06/2014 16:49

Utter I had that code on my Toyota too - blerdy Toyota have designed it so that you have to buy one of their overpriced sensors and not a cheaper after market one. I did pay the £200 odd to have it done as the orange engine management light was driving me potty (it was intermittent I think, but ended up being on more than off).

You can get wireless OBD-II code readers that use an app to read the code - works just fine.

BuzzardBird · 01/06/2014 17:04

My dhs equipment cost thousands...along with courses and updates. He still diagnoses for free. He is a fully qualified rolls Royce mechanic...there are the top of their game and has answered the Op in a pm to advise, which she is happy with. The car needs attention, it may or may not be a false alarm. Cars are like that, some are nightmares, some are not. There is no need for spending hundreds though, good people don't go over the top and try and make a fortune out of you.

SquirrelledAway · 01/06/2014 17:19

Buzzard that was really good of you to sort that out for OP.

Ilovefluffysheep · 01/06/2014 18:48

Apologies for misinforming, told you traffic wasn't my forte! I had made the assumption it was all lights that were a failure. Best I don't ask for a transfer into traffic!

BuzzardBird · 01/06/2014 19:09

Thank you Squirrel Thanks I appreciate the sentiment.

bigdog888 · 02/06/2014 10:57

there are the top of their game

Well he was wrong earlier about something basic so there's no way he'd be coming anywhere near my car!

Raskova · 02/06/2014 11:16

Big dog Smile

It still was very sweet buzzard Grin

nipersvest · 02/06/2014 11:21

we used to have an issue with our car whereby the engine light came on. dh bought one of those plug in fault code reader things, and ours came on because the 'mixture was running rich'. the car was very sensitive so would chuck up a fault code even when something was only slightly wrong. we'd never drive it with the engine light on without finding out what the fault code was referring to first though for fear of causing damage.

just a shame the garage working on it didn't have the foresight to do the same, they test drove it and ceased the engine avoid nene overland they are crooks

BuzzardBird · 02/06/2014 14:09

He wasn't wrong, he was going by what I told him and wasn't really listening tbh.

Swipe left for the next trending thread